Nourish

Iridology and our Female Hormones

Itâs often said that your eyes are the windows to your soul, but did you know Iridology can also give you a fascinating insight into your hormonal health?

Iridology is the study of health via an examination of the colour and structure of the eye. It is not a treatment therapy as such, but rather a tool many natural health practitioners use to help detect inherent health and emotional predispositions.

Here, I will give you guide on how to assess and correct your own hormonal health to help treat issues such as Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) and Premenstrual Tension (PMT) which often come with painful, heavy periods, premenstrual water retention, stomach-aches, backaches or headaches, mood swings, anxiety, depression and irritability.

DIY IRIDOLOGY ASSESSMENT

Your iris, the coloured part of your eye, is as individual as your fingerprints. When you look at the iris very closely, using a magnifying glass and a mirror, you will reveal your unique âconstitutionâ. The word âconstitutionâ in Iridology relates to inherited physical wellness and the general ability to resist disease and live a healthier life. The ability to stay physically well, however, has to do not only with our inherited constitution, but also with how well we live: our food and beverage choices, exercise, stress levels and mental health.

Looking at your iris closely, you will notice it is made up of lots of individual fibres. They stretch from the pupil to the edge of the iris. These fibres represent the strength of connective tissue throughout the body. You may associate connective tissue with skin, bones or joints, but connective tissue makes up our internal organs and hormone glands as well. Therefore, the structural strength of your iris fibres represents the strength of your internal organs too. Close and even fibres with a few or no openings represent a strong constitution, while a pattern composed of many openings in the fibres, giving the iris a flower-like appearance, indicates a weaker constitution.

DO YOUR EYES HAVE âFLOWERSâ OR âFRECKLESâ?

We can relate different signs in the iris to our health potential according to the area the signs cover. Our individually unique irises hold a map of our body parts, glands and organs. Finding different signs in different areas representing different body parts, organs or glands, can suggest a possible nurture point for that region.

As mentioned earlier, flower openings in the iris fibres represent a weaker constitution, meaning Â potential under-activity of the organ or body tissue it appears in. These signs are inherited, and the darker the flower becomes, the lower the vitality to the particular area it covers.

Freckle pigments are mostly accumulated throughout our lives. They take a very long time to form, and can appear as a result of exposure to toxins, diet and lifestyle choices as well as emotional changes we go through as we grow emotionally and spiritually. They can come in different colours like yellow, orange or brown. Â Freckle pigments are also related to potential under-activity of body tissues. The colour of the freckle can give us an idea of which organs are involved. Yellow relates to our kidneys, orange to the pancreas and brown to the liver. As an example, an orange pigment located in the ovary area of the iris may suggest the female presenting with this sign may experience mood swings or a sweet tooth premenstrually as the pancreas (orange colour) is involved.

By looking at the Iridology chart, you will be able to recognise sites related to hormone and reproductive health. Look for any freckle or flower signs in the pituitary, ovary, uterus, adrenal, cervix, thyroid and breast area to determine your individual nurture point.

ARE YOU A PURE âFLOWERâ?

When multiple flower openings appear in the centre of the iris and form a full circle around the pupil, we can see a true hormonal or flower type. Ladies with eyes like these may very often experience challenges with their hormones and their cycle beginning as early as teenage years. The presence of PMS or PMT is quite common, with menopause generally hitting early for these women, mostly in mid to late forties (while the average age for menopause is 52). From clinical experience, I have also come across quite a few hormonal/flower types with more serious hormonal disorders such as Endometriosis.

While the flower types are quite social creatures, spontaneous and friendly, they do experience life through the sensitivity of their hearts. They can get quite emotional at any time of the month, although this can intensify premenstrually where they often find themselves struggling with intense sugar cravings combined with mood swings, which can make them emotional eaters.

THE NATURAL SOLUTION

Many of our hormonally related symptoms can be improved if not completely erased with some simple lifestyle and eating choices. Choosing to eat mostly wholesome, natural foods, and less processed, sugary or refined carbohydrates (like sweets, bakery goods, chips and any white flour based products) can have us experience not only an increase in energy levels, but a general improvement in our hormonal health as well. Reducing alcohol and caffeine intake can create the same effect.

Stress levels and our bodyâs response to stress play a major role in interfering with our reproductive hormone production. By reducing stress levels, taking more time to nurture ourselves and being physically active, we can begin bringing more balance to our body, mind and female hormone production. Practicing yoga or tai-chi regularly, as well as taking just a few minutes a day to meditate, can help regulate our stress response and cortisol production, which can help correct our hormonal imbalances and the symptoms they attract. Getting 7-9 hours of restful sleep each night can assist achieve a similar effect.

What we eat and supplement can also help. There are certain micronutrients which can help us combat the effects of stress on the body and regulate our hormones.

Taking the mineral magnesium for example, can help our body deal with stress as well as help regulate our female hormones, reduce stomach cramps or backaches and control sugar cravings. Including different foods like almonds, raw cacao, whole grains, figs, cashews, eggs, cod and seeds in our daily diet can really boost your magnesium levels.

Vitamin B6 is another important nutrient; it improves mood and reduces stress not only by helping the body produce Serotonin (the âhappyâ brain chemical) but also helping maintain normal cellular levels of magnesium. It is also essential for normalising our estrogen to progesterone levels, as well as regulate aldosterone levels to help reduce premenstrual water retention. By having more foods like avocado, banana, carrots, oats, mackerel, tuna, salmon, lentils and sunflower seeds, we can really boost our B6 levels.

Zinc is another important nutrient we can really benefit from as it plays a crucial role in reproductive health. Including small amounts of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, oysters, fish and shellfish regularly can help increase our levels of this very essential micro-mineral.

Indoles are phytochemicals found in natural foods that can help our bodies eliminate toxic recycled oestrogens that may be the cause of some PMS and PMT symptoms. Foods rich in indoles include cruciferous vegetables like Brussels sprouts, broccoli, bok choy, cabbage and turnips.

About Maya Brosnan

Maya Brosnan is a Gold Coast mum, nutritionist, iridologist, fitness professional and yogi. Her holistic approach to health and nutrition lead her to write the book KIS and Lose Weight to inspire Australians to lose weight and live a happier, healthier life.